Publicis 2025: The Blueprint Every Asian CEO Can Steal
Publicis Groupe is doubling down on AI to power its next wave of growth, boosting its forecast after a strong Q3 showing.
Publicis Groupe is showing what AI-driven growth looks like in real numbers. The company reported 5.7% organic growth in Q3 2025, with an operating margin slightly above 18% in its Q3 results. It also upgraded its 2025 growth forecast to 5.0% to 5.5%.
Asia Pacific was part of that story. The region grew 6.5% on an organic basis. China rose 6.1% on gains in connected media in Q3. For CEOs designing an AI marketing strategy in Asia, five lessons stand out.
Make AI your operating system, not a side project
Publicis says 73% of its business model is now AI-powered. Its CoreAI platform supports 100,000 employees across insights, media planning, buying, and creative production. Its Leona production system is driving mid-single-digit growth in creative work.
Client demand for AI services is accelerating. More than half of marketers use generative AI for creative and audience targeting. 58%plan to increase use next year, based on industry research on responsible AI.
The signal is clear. AI at scale, embedded into everyday work, is what clients now expect and pay for. That matters because many companies are still experimenting. McKinsey finds 78% of organizations use AI in at least one function and 71% use generative AI. Yet more than 80% do not see enterprise-level profit impact. Publicis is closing that gap by wiring AI into the full operating model.
Win with tech leadership, even in crowded markets
Publicis’ US offices grew 7.1% in Q3. It was the highest across its network and a standout in a mature market with many agency choices this quarter. Competitors posted weaker results, with one major peer at 3% organic growth and another down 3.5% in organic revenue in recent quarters across holding companies.
For Asian executives, the lesson is not about size. It is about technology depth. Strong data and AI capabilities support premium pricing, stickier client relationships, and share gains, even when buyers have many options.
Balance your footprint and plan for APAC cycles
Asia Pacific digital ad spending is set to reach US$305 billion in 2025 across the region. Growth will moderate to 5.9% before recovering to 6.2% in 2026. Publicis’ diversified footprint helped it grow in Asia, North America, and parts of Europe at the same time, which reduced exposure to any single slowdown.
That approach suits the region’s scale and variety. Asia could account for 65% of the global middle class by 2030, adding roughly 700 million people between 2025 and 2030. It is on track to hold a majority of the global workforce by 2040, based on McKinsey’s view of Asia’s next era. Diversify across markets, then lean into the ones where conditions and category demand are strongest.
Go where the spend is, connected media and digital experience
Publicis Groupe's connected media unit, which includes digital experience agencies, its investment arm, and influencer marketing, also delivered growth in Q3. The same shift is happening across Asia. The region’s programmatic advertising market is valued at US$210 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach US$604 billion by 2030, with mobile display at 49.8% of spend in programmatic channels. India is the fastest riser, with programmatic forecast to expand at a 25.1% CAGR through 2030, helped by mobile and digital payments.
Business models are also adapting. Platform strategies that connect multiple stakeholders online are becoming the default in Asia’s rapid digitalization, not the exception in platform strategy playbooks. For C-level marketers, that means building integrated, cross-platform capabilities rather than siloed traditional media services.
Build compounding momentum with new business and smart M&A
Publicis’ net new billings for the first nine months of 2025 already matched its full 2024 total. The company landed the US$1.7 billion Mars media account and key wins from brands like Coca-Cola, Santander, and LinkedIn. Management says this momentum supports its confidence to outperform again in 2026.
It did this without losing margin discipline. Publicis posted a 17.4% operating margin in the first half of 2025 while spending €500 million (~US$540 million) on targeted acquisitions, including Lotame (data and identity), BR Media Group (influencer marketing), and Moov AI (creative automation) in its first-half results. The message for CEOs is simple. Use M&A to add specific capabilities fast, keep costs in check, and let new business wins compound.
AI adoption is not risk-free. 70% of marketers have faced at least one AI-related incident, and 40% had to pause or pull ads. Yet less than 35% plan to increase AI governance investment, even though 90% feel prepared. Move fast, but set guardrails.
Business leaders would do well to:
- Treat AI as the core system of work, not a lab project. Scale training and tools across teams.
- Diversify revenue across markets, then double down where the data shows momentum.
- Shift budgets and capabilities to connected media and digital experience, especially on mobile.
- Pair bold M&A with strict cost control, and build a repeatable new business engine.
- Put AI governance in place before the next high-profile error, including human review and clear escalation.
Asia is not behind on AI. BCG finds Asia Pacific is now second only to North America in generative AI adoption, with both regions seeing 16% of organizations reporting proven value. The race is on, and leadership is up for grabs.
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